Systems and methods to provide a relaxation regimen to an occupant of a vehicle

Abstract

The disclosure is generally directed to providing a relaxation regimen to an occupant of a vehicle. In one example method, a processor evaluates a physiological condition of the occupant. The physiological condition can be a heart rate, hear-rate variability, a breathing rate, and/or a blood oxygen level. The processor also identifies an opportune time to offer the relaxation regimen. The relaxation regimen may be offered based on evaluating the physiological condition of the occupant and on identifying the opportune time. Furthermore, the relaxation regimen may be recommended based on the customer preference or usage patterns and the opportune time. The opportune time can be when the vehicle is moving in a cruising mode of operation, is in a stopped or parked state, or is moving in stop-and-go traffic, or location. In another example method, a processor may offer the relaxation regime based on a movement status of the vehicle.

That which is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 evaluating, by a processor, a physiological condition of an occupant of a vehicle;   identifying, by the processor, an opportune time to offer a relaxation regimen to the occupant of the vehicle; and   offering, by the processor and based on evaluating the physiological condition and/or on identifying the opportune time, the relaxation regimen.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the physiological condition of the occupant comprises one of a heart rate, heart-rate variability, a breathing rate, and a blood oxygen level and wherein the opportune time occurs during one of when the vehicle is moving in a cruising mode of operation, is in a stopped or parked state, or is moving in stop-and-go traffic. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the occupant is a driver of the vehicle, and wherein identifying the opportune time comprises:
 identifying, by the processor, over a period of time, a speed of movement of the vehicle, a stopped or parked condition of the vehicle, an acceleration characteristic of the vehicle, a braking characteristic of the vehicle, a direction of travel of the vehicle, a posted speed limit on a road, preferences of the occupant, relaxation regime usage patterns, and/or a location of the vehicle.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the opportune time occurs when the vehicle is one of moving in a cruising mode of operation, is in a stopped or parked state, or is moving in stop-and-go traffic and recommending a relaxation regime based on the opportune time. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the relaxation regimen comprises a breathing exercise and/or a massaging function, and the method further comprises:
 tailoring, by the processor, the relaxation regimen based on a preference of the occupant.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 detecting, by the processor, an outlier in physiological data obtained by monitoring the occupant; and   tailoring, by the processor, the relaxation regimen based on addressing the outlier.   
     
     
         7 . A method comprising:
 monitoring, by a processor, a movement status of a vehicle;   identifying, by the processor, based on monitoring the movement status of the vehicle, an opportune time to offer a relaxation regimen to an occupant of the vehicle; and   offering, by the processor, the relaxation regimen to the occupant of the vehicle at the opportune time.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein monitoring the movement status of the vehicle comprises monitoring a speed of movement of the vehicle, a stopped or parked state of the vehicle, an acceleration characteristic of the vehicle, a braking characteristic of the vehicle, a direction of travel of the vehicle, a posted speed limit on a road, and/or a location of the vehicle, and further wherein identifying the opportune time comprises selecting a period of time when the vehicle is moving in a cruising mode of operation, is in the stopped state, or is moving in stop-and-go traffic. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 evaluating, by the processor, a physiological condition of the occupant of the vehicle; and   offering, by the processor, the relaxation regimen based on evaluating the physiological condition and on identifying the opportune time.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the physiological condition of the occupant comprises one of a heart rate, heart-rate variability, a breathing rate, and a blood oxygen level. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the relaxation regimen comprises a breathing exercise and/or a massaging function. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 operating, by the processor, an audio system, a display system and/or a haptic element to interact with the occupant during the breathing exercise.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 identifying, by the processor, a first seat in which the occupant is seated; and   activating a massager system in the first seat to provide the massaging function to the occupant of the first seat.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the occupant is a driver of the vehicle, and wherein identifying the opportune time comprises:
 identifying, by the processor, over a period of time, a speed of movement of the vehicle, a stopped or parked condition of the vehicle, an acceleration characteristic of the vehicle, a braking characteristic of the vehicle, a direction of travel of the vehicle, a posted speed limit on a road, and/or a location of the vehicle.   
     
     
         15 . A vehicle comprising:
 a relaxation regimen provider system comprising:
 a memory that stores computer-executable instructions; and 
 a processor configured to access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to perform operations comprising:
 evaluating a physiological condition of an occupant of the vehicle; 
 identifying an opportune time to offer a relaxation regimen to the occupant of the vehicle; and 
 offering the relaxation regimen based on evaluating the physiological condition and/or on identifying the opportune time. 
 
   
     
     
         16 . The vehicle of  claim 15 , wherein the physiological condition of the occupant comprises one of a heart rate, heart-rate variability, a breathing rate, and a blood oxygen level and wherein the opportune time occurs during one of when the vehicle is moving in a cruising mode of operation, is in a stopped or parked state, or is moving in stop-and-go traffic. 
     
     
         17 . The vehicle of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a sensor system configured to sense the physiological condition of the occupant of the vehicle, the sensor system comprising at least one of a wearable item of clothing, a smartwatch, an activity tracker, a smartphone, a pressure transducer, a camera vision system, a radar, or a heart rate monitor.   
     
     
         18 . The vehicle of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a vehicle computer configured to communicate to the relaxation regimen provider system a speed of movement of the vehicle, a stopped or parked condition of the vehicle, an acceleration characteristic of the vehicle, a braking characteristic of the vehicle, a direction of travel of the vehicle, a posted speed limit on a road, preferences of the occupant, relaxation regime usage patterns, and/or a location of the vehicle.   
     
     
         19 . The vehicle of  claim 15 , wherein the processor is configured to access the memory and execute additional computer-executable instructions to perform operations comprising:
 tailoring, by the processor, the relaxation regimen based on a preference of the occupant.   
     
     
         20 . The vehicle of  claim 19 , wherein the relaxation regimen comprises a breathing exercise and/or a massaging function.